Loom harness mechanism

ABSTRACT

A spiral harness spring for a loom having axially directed biasing means for maintaining the coils thereof in radial alignment and to prevent lateral movement thereof relative to its enclosing sheave.

United States Patent Roy H. Rehbein, Jr.;

Raymond D. Whiting, Hopedale, Mass. Appl. No. 793,116

Filed Jan. 22, 1969 Inventors Patented Jan. 26, 1971 Assignee North American Rockwell Corporation Pittsburgh, Pa. a corporation of Delaware LOOM HARNESS MECHANISM 3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 139/89 Int. Cl i D031: 13/00 Field of Search 139/89;

267/10, 175, (Cursory) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1950 Brown et a1 3/1954 Budzyna et al 7/1968 Whiting FOREIGN PATENTS 8/1953 France Primary Examiner-James Kee Chi Attorney-John R. Bronaugh ABSTRACT: A spiral harness spring for a loom having axially directed biasing means for maintaining the coils thereof in radial alignment and to prevent lateral movement thereof relative to its enclosing sheave LOOM HARNESS MECHANISM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a spiral harness spring for looms which is adapted to function in cooperation with a treadle mechanism, the combination of which vertically moves the harness frames to produce the required shedding action for weaving.

Spiral or so-called clock springs utilized in loom top motions are well known to those conversant in the weaving art. These springs are arranged so as to become charged by the downward movement of the harness frame individual thereto and will retract said harness frame when the force acting on the latter is relinquished.

The spring is contained within a sheave member which is rotatably supported on the outer bearing surface of a fixed hub. The inner end of the spring is attached to the hub and the outer end thereof is provided with means for attachment to a peripheral flange forming an integral part of the sheave. By means of strapping or the like, the sheave member is interconnected with a harness frame individual thereto. It is common practice to provide a plurality of such'spring and sheave combinations arranged in juxtaposed relation upon at least one end of a loom with each being interconnected with its respective harness frame.

In looms equipped with the known type of clock spring top motions, some difficulty has been experienced with spring migration, or in other words, with lateral movement thereof from its assembled position within its respective sheave. In operation the spring is caused to flex continually and its migrational movement is attributed to general loom vibration coupled with continued reciprocation of the sheave itself as well as the casting draft on the supporting edges of the latter.

The sheaves are not activated in unison, but in more or less of an alternate manner in accordance with some desired weaving pattern. With the plurality of springand sheave combinations being disposed in close proximity, only a very small amount of spring migration in an axial direction is necessary for it to contact an adjacent sheave. With such a condition, wear develops between the moving and nonmoving parts resulting in a metallic dust which if carried into the fabric being formed will produce rust spots or other undesirable defects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The spiral or clock spring of the present invention has its plurality of coils disposed so as to produce a biasing force in an axial direction when in assembled position within its respective sheave. Each successive coil is laterally displaced relative to each adjacent coil and defines an overall shape of conical configuration. The hub which fixedly positions the inner end of the spring within the sheave is provided with a radially directed flange against which the inner end of the spring is adapted to bear and is eftective in preventing migration of the spring in an axial direction as well as maintaining the plurality of coils thereof in radial alignment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a view in front elevation of a harness spring and sheave combination according to the invention shown in position on the upper left-hand end of a loom.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view partially exploded showing a series of harness springs and the sheave members within which they assemble.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Now referring to the FIGS. of drawing enough of a loom is shown in FIG. 1 to serve as a basis for a detailed description of the invention applied thereto.

In FIG. 1 a loom top motion identified generally by numeral is shown attached to a support bracket 11 by means of bolts 12 and 13. This support bracket is positioned on the upper left-hand side of the loom and is attached by means of bolts I4 and 15 to the left-hand loom frame partially shown and indicated by numeral 16.

The top motion 10 includes and is assembled within a housing 16 that is provided with a centrally located and horizontally disposed fixed shaft 17. Shaft 17 provides a means for supporting the spring and sheave combination generally indicated by numeral 18.

Housing 16 completely encloses the spring and sheave combinations but is shown in FIG. I as being open to illustrate their position therein. These combinations are shown in greater detail in FIG. 2 and include a spiral spring 19 of flat stock and an enclosing sheave 20 within which said spring is adapted to assemble. The enclosing sheave includes a hub portion 21 with an axial bore 22 that is adapted to receive a bushing 23 therein. A rim flange 24 substantially encircles the periphery of the sheave and includes an opening 25 through which the outer end of the spring 19 is adapted to extend. Immediately adjacent to opening 25, the rim flange 24 is provided with an integrally formed and outwardly directed spring tip retainer 26 of L-shaped configuration. The outer end of the spring 19 is reversely directed as at 27 and is of reduced width forming a latch 28 that is adapted to be received by the tip retainer 26 for fixedly positioning said outer end of the spring.

The inner end of the spring 19 is also reversely directed and reduced width to form a latch 30 which is receivable into one of two slots 31 or 32 provided in the peripheral flange 33 of a spring sleeve hub 34. Hub 34 also includes a radial directed flange 35 (FIG. 2) which supports the slotted peripheral flange 33 and provides a surface against which the latch 30 is caused to hear when received into either of the two slots 31 or 32.

The spring 19 has a plurality of coils 36 (FIG. 2) and each successive coil is laterally displaced relative to each adjacent coil and defines an overall shape of conical configuration.

Additionally hub 34 includes a cylindrical and centrally disposed bearing surface 37 which extends in an axial direction and is adapted to be received by the bore 38 of bushing 23 that is positioned within the hub portion 21 of the sheave 20.

In assembled position hub 34 is fixed on shaft 17 by means of a key 39 (FIG. 1) and the bearing surface 37 thereof is positioned within bushing 23. In this position the latch 30 forming the inner end of the spring 19 is bearing against flange 35 of the hub and the latter being disposed within the confines of the sheave 20 as shown in the unexploded portion of FIG. 2 has compressed the coils of the spring so that each is in radial alignment with its adjacent coil. The axial directed biasing force produced by the conical configuration of the spring 19 is sufficient, when compressed into operating position within its respective sheave by the hub 34, to maintain each of the coils in radially alignment and to prevent any possible lateral migra tion of said coils which would permit contact thereof with an adjacent sheave member.

In operation the sheave members are caused to oscillate within the housing 16 by means of their strapping connections 40 which interconnect each spring and sheave combination with a harness frame individual thereto. In FIG. 1 a portion of two such harness frames are shown and are depicted by numerals 41 and 42. A cam and treadle arrangement not shown provides the means for drawing a harness frame downwardly and when this force is relinquished the tension to which the cooperating spiral spring 19 was subjected is sufficient to raise the harness frame to a predetermined upper position.

The axial directed biasing force to which each continually flexing spring 19 is subjected, is sufficient to maintain all of their coils in radial alignment and has eliminated the problem of lateral movement of the coils and contact thereof with adjacent sheave members.

We claim:

1. In a loom having harness frames adapted for vertical movement between upper and lower positions, means for raising said frames individually to said upper position which includes:

2. The mechanism according to claim 1 wherein each successive coil of the spring is laterally displaced relative to each adjacent coil, thereby providing a biasing means through conical configuration of said spring.

3. The mechanism according to claim 2 wherein said spring sleeve hub includes a radial flange adapted to engage the inner ends of said spring in assembled position within said sheave to prevent axial movement of said coils and maintain each of the latter in radial alignment with adjacent coils. 

1. In a loom having harness frames adapted for vertical movement between upper and lower positions, means for raising said frames individually to said upper position which includes: a. a sheave member rotatably supported upon said loom having a rim flange at least partially around the periphery thereof; b. A spiral spring supported within said sheave member having a plurality of coils laterally offset from each other in a relaxed position and forcibly aligned with said sheave member in assembled position; and c. a spring sheave hub including a notched peripheral flange for fixedly positioning the inner end of said spring within said sheave.
 2. The mechanism according to claim 1 wherein each successive coil of the spring is laterally displaced relative to each adjacent coil, thereby providing a biasing means through conical configuration of said spring.
 3. The mechanism according to claim 2 wherein said spring sleeve hub includes a radial flange adapted to engage the inner ends of said spring in assembled position within said sheave to prevent axial movement of said coils and maintain each of the latter in radial alignment with adjacent coils. 